Kidnap of Chinese, Filipino worker in Sabah political

From the Daily Tribune (Apr 9): Kidnap of Chinese, Filipino worker in Sabah political

More than ransom payment, the recent kidnapping of a Filipino hotel worker and a Chinese tourist from a resort off Sabah is “political.”

An informed The Tribune source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that a group linked with the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) was responsible in the abduction of Marcelita Dayawan, 40, and Gao Huayuan, 29, from Singamata Reef Resort in Semporna.

The source said that the MNLF-Tausugs want to send the message that they are still a force to reckon with.

“Why are they targeting Semporna? The place is a known stronghold of the MNLF and Tausugs. They want to show that they are in control of the area,” the source said. “More than money, it’s political,’’ he added.

He noted that the MNLF, particularly the Tausugs, supports the Sultanate of Sulu’s claims over Sabah.

Last year, hundreds of supporters of the Sulu Sultanate, led by Rajah Muda Agbimuddin Kiram, laid siege in Lahad Datu, Sabah to revive the sultanate’s claim over the territory. The Malaysian government launched massive military operations against the Filipinos and the conflict ended after two months with scores of people killed.

“They (MNLF-Tausugs) are unhappy with what is happening,” the source said.
The source also identified a certain Hadji Mamih Sangkula, a former leader of the MNLF, as responsible in the kidnapping of Dayawan and Gao Wednesday last week.

The source said that after the abduction, Sangkula’s group went to Tawi-Tawi where another group fetched them and apparently took the victims.

“They (victims) are now in Jolo and passed on to still unknown group,” the source said.

The military earlier tagged Murphy Ambang Ladia, alias Haji Gulam, as the leader of the group that pulled off the kidnapping. Ladia is linked to the terrorist Abu Sayyaf group.

Ladia, the military said, was a former MNLF leader and active member of the Misuari Breakaway Group before joining ASG.

The military’s Western Mindanao Command had established a naval blockade along sea routes of Basilan, Sulu and Tawi Tawi provinces immediately after the kidnapping.

http://www.tribune.net.ph/nation/kidnap-of-chinese-filipino-worker-in-sabah-political